Image processing device and medium storing image processing program

ABSTRACT

An information interchange unit, a storage unit, and a display controller are configured such that, after a image selection unit selects a first image and a second image, the information interchange unit interchanges, automatically, first image information of the first image with second image information of the second image, or interchanges, automatically, first position information of the first image with second position information of the second image, the storage unit stores and correlates the first image information and the second position information, and stores and correlates the second image information and the first position information, and the display controller controls, automatically, a display to display the one image based on the first image information and the second position information, and the another image based on the second image information and the first position information.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/108,330 filed on Dec. 16, 2013, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/662,351 filed on Oct. 26, 2012, now U.S.Pat. No. 8,611,702 B2 issued on Dec. 17, 2013, which is a continuationof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/153,641, filed on May 22, 2008,now U.S. Pat. No. 8,300,989 B2 issued on Oct. 30, 2012, which claimspriority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-135295 filed on May22, 2007, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by referencein their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an image processing device and an imageprocessing program, and more particularly to an image processor and animage processing program capable of interchanging the positions orattributes of images displayed on a display screen with a simpleoperation.

BACKGROUND

As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H10-293838,there is known an image editing device that prepares various templatesin which the color and design of the background of images, such asphotos or pictures, to be displayed and positions of the images arepreviously set so as to allow a user to select a suitable one anddisplays the images based on the user's selected template. In this imageediting device, when images and template are selected by the user, theimages are displayed at positions defined by the template. Thus, with asimple operation of selecting a plurality of images and a template, adisplay screen reflecting an operator's desired arrangement of imagesand background can be set.

SUMMARY

However, although a desired display screen can be set with a simpleoperation of selecting a plurality of images and a template in the imageediting device using the template, a template corresponding to anoperator's desired arrangement of images and background is not alwaysprepared. In the case where a template that matches an operator'sdesired arrangement is not prepared, the operator must select a templatesimilar to one that matches the operator's desired arrangement and editthe positions, sizes, colors, and brightness of the displayed images,resulting in a troublesome editing operation.

For example, in the case where the position of a first image needs to beinterchanged with the position of a second image, the following stepneeds to be performed: the first image is moved by a drag-and-dropoperation to another location; then the second image is moved by adrag-and-drop operation to the location at which the first image hasoriginally been positioned; and the first image that has been moved toanother location is moved to the location at which the second image hasoriginally been positioned. That is, at least three steps are requiredto complete the interchange of the displayed images, resulting in atroublesome editing operation. Further, in the case where the backgroundset by the template is configured to white area the same as thearrangement positions of images, the operation of moving the images by adrag-and-drop operation to proper positions becomes difficult to carryout.

Further, if the attribute of each image, such as size, color, orbrightness is associated with the arrangement position of each image,the operator must edit the attribute after the interchange operation ofthe images by a drag-and-drop operation, making the editing operationfurther troublesome.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and anobject of the present invention is to provide an image processing deviceand an image processing program capable of interchanging the positionsor attributes of images displayed on a display screen with a simpleoperation.

To achieve the above and other objects, one aspect of the inventionprovides an image processing device including: a display configured todisplay a plurality of images; a display configured to display aplurality of images; a storage unit configured to store a plurality ofpieces of image information and a plurality of pieces of positioninformation corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of imagesindividually, each of the plurality of pieces of position informationindicating a position where each image is displayed on the display, thestorage unit being configured to correlate the plurality of pieces ofimage information with respective ones of the plurality of pieces ofposition information individually, the plurality of images being to bedisplayed on the display based on the plurality of pieces of imageinformation and the plurality of pieces of position information,respectively; an image selection unit configured to select at least afirst image and a second image from the plurality of images, the firstimage including first image information and first position information,the second image including second image information and second positioninformation; an information interchange unit configured to interchangethe first image information of the first image with the second imageinformation of the second image, or to interchange the first positioninformation of the first image with the second position information ofthe second image, the storage unit being configured to store andcorrelate the first image information and the second positioninformation, and store and correlate the second image information andthe first position information; and a display controller configured tocontrol the display to display one image based on the first imageinformation and the second position information, and another image basedon the second image information and the first position information. Theinformation interchange unit, the storage unit, and the displaycontroller are configured such that, after the image selection unitselects the first image and the second image, the informationinterchange unit interchanges, automatically, the first imageinformation of the first image with the second image information of thesecond image, or interchanges, automatically, the first positioninformation of the first image with the second position information ofthe second image, the storage unit stores and correlates the first imageinformation and the second position information, and stores andcorrelates the second image information and the first positioninformation, and the display controller controls, automatically, thedisplay to display the one image based on the first image informationand the second position information, and the another image based on thesecond image information and the first position information.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an imageprocessing device including: a display configured to display a pluralityof images; a storage unit configured to store a plurality of pieces ofimage information corresponding to respective ones of the plurality ofimages, and attribute information corresponding to each of the pluralityof pieces of image information, the attribute information being to beused for changing a display state of the image, each of the plurality ofimages being displayed on the display based on each of the plurality ofimage information and corresponding attribute information; an imageselection unit configured to select at least a first image and a secondimage from the plurality of images, the first image including firstimage information and first attribute information, the second imageincluding second image information and second attribute information; aninformation interchange unit configured to interchange the first imageinformation of the first image with the second image information of thesecond image, or interchanges the first attribute information of thefirst image with the second attribute information of the second image,the storage unit being configured to store and correlate the first imageinformation and the second attribute information, and store andcorrelate the second image information and the first attributeinformation; and a display controller configured to control the displayto display one image based on the first image information and the secondattribute information, and another image based on the second imageinformation and the first attribute information. The informationinterchange unit, the storage unit, and the display controller areconfigured such that, after the image selection unit selects the firstimage and the second image, the information interchange unitinterchanges, automatically, the first image information of the firstimage with the second image information of the second image, orinterchanges, automatically, the first attribute information of thefirst image with the second attribute information of the second image,the storage unit stores and correlates the first image information andthe second attribute information, and stores and correlates the secondimage information and the first attribute information, and the displaycontroller controls, automatically, the display to display the one imagebased on the first image information and the second attributeinformation, and the another image based on the second image informationand the first attribute information.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided anon-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer-executableimage processing program for an image processing device. The imageprocessing device includes a display configured to display configured todisplay a plurality of images; a storage unit configured to store aplurality of pieces of image information and a plurality of pieces ofposition information corresponding to respective ones of the pluralityof images individually, each of the plurality of pieces of positioninformation indicating a position where each image is displayed on thedisplay, the storage unit being configured to correlate the plurality ofpieces of image information with respective ones of the plurality ofpieces of position information individually, the plurality of imagesbeing to be displayed on the display based on the plurality of pieces ofimage information and the plurality of pieces of position information,respectively. The image processing program includes: instructions forselecting at least a first image and a second image from the pluralityof images, the first image including first image information and firstposition information, the second image including second imageinformation and second position information; instructions forinterchanging the first image information of the first image with thesecond image information of the second image, or to interchange thefirst position information of the first image with the second positioninformation of the second image, the storage unit being configured tostore and correlate the first image information and the second positioninformation, and store and correlate the second image information andthe first position information; and instructions for controlling thedisplay to display one image based on the first image information andthe second position information, and another image based on the secondimage information and the first position information. After selectingthe first image and the second image, interchanging, automatically, thefirst image information of the first image with the second imageinformation of the second image, or interchanging, automatically, thefirst position information of the first image with the second positioninformation of the second image, storing and correlating the first imageinformation and the second position information, and storing andcorrelating the second image information and the first positioninformation, and controlling, automatically, the display to display theone image based on the first image information and the second positioninformation, and the another image based on the second image informationand the first position information.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided anon-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer-executableimage processing program for an image processing device. The imageprocessing device includes: a display configured to display a pluralityof images; a storage unit configured to store a plurality of pieces ofimage information corresponding to respective ones of the plurality ofimages, and attribute information corresponding to each of the pluralityof pieces of image information, the attribute information being to beused for changing a display state of the image, each of the plurality ofimages being displayed on the display based on each of the plurality ofimage information and corresponding attribute information. The imageprocessing program includes: instructions for selecting at least a firstimage and a second image from the plurality of images, the first imageincluding first image information and first attribute information, thesecond image including second image information and second attributeinformation; instructions for interchanging the first image informationof the first image with the second image information of the secondimage, or interchanges the first attribute information of the firstimage with the second attribute information of the second image, thestorage unit being configured to store and correlate the first imageinformation and the second attribute information, and store andcorrelate the second image information and the first attributeinformation; and instructions for controlling the display to display oneimage based on the first image information and the second attributeinformation, and another image based on the second image information andthe first attribute information. After selecting the first image and thesecond image, interchanging, automatically, the first image informationof the first image with the second image information of the secondimage, or interchanging, automatically, the first attribute informationof the first image with the second attribute information of the secondimage, storing and correlating the first image information and thesecond attribute information, and storing, and correlating the secondimage information and the first attribute information, and controlling,automatically, the display to display the one image based on the firstimage information and the second attribute information, and the anotherimage based on the second image information and the first attributeinformation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a multifunction peripheral(MFP) according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the MFPaccording to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a album creation process executed by a CPUof the MFP according to the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing edit process executed by the CPU of theMFP according to the embodiment;

FIGS. 5A to 5D are flowcharts each showing interchange process executedby the CPU of the MFP according to the embodiment;

FIGS. 6A to 6D are flowcharts each showing interchange process executedby the CPU of the MFP according to the embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing two image-selection process executed bythe CPU of the MFP according to the embodiment;

FIGS. 8A to 8D are views showing display screens of a liquid, crystaldisplay during an image selection of the album creation processaccording to the embodiment;

FIGS. 9A to 9C are views showing the display screens of the liquidcrystal display during a template selection of the album creationprocess according to the embodiment;

FIGS. 10A to 10C are views showing the display screens of the liquidcrystal display during the interchange process according to theembodiment; and

FIGS. 11A to 11D are views showing the display screens of the liquidcrystal display during the interchange process according to theembodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an inkjet printer accordingto an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Next, an image processing device and image processing program accordingto an embodiment of the present invention will be described withreference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an externalperspective view showing a multifunction peripheral 1 according to theembodiment of the present invention. The following embodiment is merelyan example of embodying the present invention, and various modificationsmay be made without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction peripheral (MFP) 1 integrallyincludes a printer 2 at the lower portion thereof, a scanner 3 at theupper portion thereof, and an operation panel 4 on the front side of thescanner 3. The MFP 1 implements various functions, such as a copyfunction, a facsimile function, a printer function of recording(printing) data received from an external computer (not shown) such as apersonal computer (PC) onto a recording paper. The internalconfiguration of the scanner 3 is not directly relevant to the presentinvention and hence no detailed description will be given.

The printer 2 is an image recording unit that records an image onto arecording paper based on image data scanned by the scanner 3 orexternally input image data. The printer 2 is provided at the lowerportion of the scanner 3. The scanner 3 and printer 2 are so positionedto have a common rear surface, so that the rear surface of the MFP 1 hasa flat shape having no concave or convex portion.

The scanner 3 includes a flat bed 6 having a horizontally-longrectangular parallelepiped shape. A front side end surface 17 of theprinter 2 is protruded to the front side by a predetermined length froma front side end surface 18 of the scanner 3. Hereinafter, the frontside portion of the printer 2 protruding to the front side from thescanner 3 is referred to as a protruded portion 16. The horizontallength of the printer 2 is so designed to fit to the horizontal lengthof the scanner 3. Therefore, the MFP 1 has substantially a square shapeas viewed from the above.

A connection panel 70 is provided on the upper side of an opening 5 ofthe printer 2. The connection panel 70 has a USB terminal 71 on its leftend side. The USB terminal 71 is a connector terminal for communicablyconnecting the MFP 1 through a USB connection to an external device. Theconnection panel 70 has a slot portion 72 on its right end side. Theslot portion 72 includes a plurality of card slots into which a memorycard (card-type memory) can be inserted. When a card slot is insertedinto one of the card slots, image data is read out by a control section20 (see FIG. 2) described later from the inserted memory card.

An operation panel 4 is provided on the front side of the MFP 1. Theoperation panel 4 has a horizontally-long shape so as to fit to the openspace above the protruded portion 16. In other words, the operation,panel 4 has a vertical size that is substantially equal to the length(vertical length of the open space) obtained by subtracting the verticallength of the printer 2 from the vertical length of the scanner 3. Theoperation panel 4 is used for a user to operate the printer 2 or scanner3, and includes various operation keys 40 and a liquid crystal display(LCD) 41. A user can input a desired instruction by using the operationpanel 4. The LCD 41 is composed of two horizontally-arranged LCD panelseach with an aspect ratio of 4:3, so that the entire aspect ratio of theLCD 41 is 8:3. When a predetermined instruction is input to the MFP 1,the MFP 1 is controlled by a control section 20 (see FIG. 2) based onthe input information (the predetermined instruction).

The MFP 1 is configured to operate based on not only an instructioninput through the operation panel 4 but also an instruction transmittedthrough a printer driver or scanner driver from a computer such as a PCconnected to the MFP.

With reference to FIG. 2, an electrical configuration of the MFP 1according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a blockdiagram showing an electrical configuration of the MFP 1. The MFP 1includes a parallel interface (I/F) 29 which is connectable to a PC viaa cable, a USB terminal 71 connectable to a digital camera, and a slotportion 72 to which an external medium (e.g., storage medium such as amemory card or flash memory) can detachably attached. With thisconfiguration, image data can be input from the PC, digital camera,external medium to the MFP 1. The MFP 1 can perform an album creationprocess described later (see FIG. 3) for the input image data.

The control section 20 controls the entire operation of the MFPincluding the printer 2, scanner 3, and operation panel 4 (see FIG. 1).The control section 20 is constituted as a microcomputer mainlyincluding a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, a ROM (Read Only Memory)22, a RAM (Random Access memory) 23, and an EEPROM (ElectricallyErasable and Programmable ROM) 24. The control section 20 is connectedto an ASIC (Application Specific integrated Circuit) 26 via a bus 25.

The CPU 21 controls the entire operation of the MFP 1. The ROM 22 storesvarious control programs (e.g., programs shown in flowcharts of FIGS. 3through 7) executed by the CPU 21 and stores fixed values used when theprograms are executed.

The ROM 22 has a template information storage area 22 a. The templateinformation storage area 22 a stores a plurality of template informationdefining the position and shape of images to be displayed. In thisembodiment, the template information storage area 22 a stores aplurality of templates corresponding to the number of images to bedisplayed as one template information and stores the templateinformation corresponding to the number of images to be displayed.

The RAM 23 is a rewritable memory employed as a memory area or work areathat temporarily stores various data used when the CPU 21 executes thevarious programs. The RAM 23 has a variable memory area dynamicallyallocated to a program to be executed, in addition to a fixed memoryarea reserved as a load area for a program instructed to be loaded onstart-up of the MFP 1 and an area for storing fixed values essential foreach processes. At the time of execution of each program, a memory area(storage area or work area) required for the operation of the program isreserved in a free space (unused area) of the variable memory area.

Further, the RAM 23 has an image file temporary storage area 23 a forstoring information read out from a memory card (not shown) insertedinto the slot portion 72 and an image information storage area 23 b forstoring information (attribute information) indicating edit data addedor applied to an image. The image information storage area 23 b isprepared for each image selected in an album creation process describedlater (see FIG. 3).

The image file to be stored in the image file temporary storage area 23a is e.g., known bit map data composed of pixel values (RGB values) foreach pixel. The RGB values include components representing the threeprimary colors of light, i.e., an R value representing red, a G valuerepresenting green, and a B value representing blue. The greater the RGBvalues, the higher the luminance (brightness). The image file furtherincludes information indicating the size, color, and resolution of animage and correction information applied to an image.

The image information storage area 23 b has a position informationstorage area 23 b 1, a layout information storage area 23 b 2, acorrection information storage area. 23 b 3, a size information storagearea 23 b 4, a color information storage area 23 b 5, a brightnessinformation storage area 23 b 6, a resolution information storage area23 b 7, and a drawing information storage area 23 b 8.

When the album creation process described later (see FIG. 3) is executedto set a position of an image, the position information storage area 23b 1 stores position information indicating the position of the image ina display screen of the LCD 41. The position information indicating theposition of an image in a display area is, e.g., informationrepresenting a coordinate value.

When the album creation process is executed to set a shape or a contourof an image, the layout information storage area 23 b 2 stores layoutinformation (shape information) indicating the shape of the image. Thelayout information indicating the shape of an image is informationrepresenting, e.g., a shape such as circle, triangle, quadrangle, andstar shape.

The correction information storage area 23 b 3 stores correctioninformation indicating correction that has been applied to an image. Thecorrection information storage area 23 b 3 stores the correctioninformation corresponding to images stored in the image file temporarystorage area 23 a. The correction information is informationrepresenting correction such as edge correction for image edgeenhancement or feathering correction for feathering the edge of animage.

The size information storage area 23 b 4 stores size informationindicating a size of an image. The size information storage area 23 b 4stores the size information corresponding to images stored in the imagefile temporary storage area 23 a.

The color information storage area 23 b 5 stores color informationindicating colors (color blending) added to an image. The colorinformation storage area 23 b 5 stores the color informationcorresponding to images stored in the image file temporary storage area23 a.

The brightness information storage area 23 b 6 stores brightnessinformation indicating brightness added to an image. The brightnessinformation storage area 23 b 6 stores the brightness informationcorresponding to images stored in the image the temporary storage area23 a.

The resolution information storage area 23 b 7 stores resolutioninformation indicating a resolution (fineness) of an image. Theresolution information storage area 23 b 7 stores the resolution itcorresponding to images stored in the image file temporary storage area23 a.

The drawing information storage area 23 b 8 stores drawing informationof original image data. The original image data is processed (edited)based on the abovementioned layout information, correction information,size information, color information, brightness information, orresolution information.

The ASIC 26 connected to the control section 20 via the bus 25 will bedescribed below. A panel gate array (panel GA) 27 is connected to theASIC 26. The panel GA 27 detects a depression (input operation) of agiven operation key 40 used for a user to input user's desiredinstruction to the MFP 1 and outputs a predetermined code signal.Further, the ASIC 26 is connected to an LCD controller 28 forcontrolling the screen display of the LCD 41, an amplifier 73 forsounding a speaker 74, and an NCU (Network Control Unit) 31 which isconnected to a general public line 33 and a modern 32.

Next, the album creation process executed in the MFP 1 having theconfiguration described above will be described with reference toflowcharts shown in FIGS. 3 through 7 and display screens of the LCD 41shown in FIGS. 8A through 11D. FIGS. 3 through 7 are flowcharts showingthe album creation process executed by the CPU 21 of the MFP 1, andFIGS. 8A through 11D are views showing display screens of the LCD 41.

The album creation process is executed when an operator operates theoperation key 40 to select the album creation function. In thisembodiment, the MFP 1 is configured to be able to execute the albumcreation function when a memory card is inserted. Thus, when the memorycard is inserted by the operator, image files such as photos or picturesstored in the memory card are loaded into the image file temporarystorage area 23 a.

Further, the MFP 1 may be configured to be able to execute the albumcreation function not only when the memory card is inserted but alsowhen image files are received from the external PC.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the album creation process executed by theCPU 21 of the MFP 1. In the following description, a state of thedisplay screen of the LCD 41 is changed with progress of the albumcreation process. The change of the display screen of the LCD 41 will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 8A through 11D.

When the album creation function is selected by the operator and thealbum creation process is started, in S101 the CPU 21 reads out imagefiles stored in the image file temporary storage area 23 a and displaysa list of images based on the image files on a left screen 41 a of theLCD 41. FIG. 8A shows the display screen of the LCD 41 at the time ofexecution of S101.

As described above, the LCD 41 is composed of the horizontally-arrangedtwo LCD panels. The two panels constitute a left screen 41 a and a rightscreen 41 b, respectively, as shown in FIG. 8A, and can displaydifferent contents. For example, “images are displayed on left screen 41a” means that images are displayed on the left side panel (left sidepanel in FIGS. 8A through 11D) of the two LCD panels, and “images aredisplayed on right screen 41 b” means that images are displayed on theright side panel (right side panel in FIGS. 8A through 11D) of the twoLCD panels.

Upon execution of S101, a plurality of images based on the image filesread out from the image file temporary storage area 23 a are displayedon the left screen 41 a of the LCD 41. The plurality of images are eachsurrounded by a rectangular frame. The operator selects one desiredimage by touching the corresponding frame area. The display state on theleft screen 41 a of the LCD 41 shown in FIG. 8A is referred to as“thumbnail screen”.

In this embodiment, an image A of lighthouse, an image B of house, andan image C of church are displayed on the thumbnail screen. The rightscreen 41 b serves as a work screen. In the state of S101, nothing isdisplayed on the work screen.

In S102, the CPU determines whether or not any one of images displayedon the left screen 41 a of the LCD 41 has been touched by the operator.When determining that the image has been touched (S102:YES), in S103 theCPU 21 displays the touched image on the right screen 41 b on the LCD41. On the other hand, when determining that the image has not beentouched (S102:NO), the CPU 21 does not execute the process of S103, andadvances to S104.

FIG. 8B shows a state where the image A on the thumbnail screen istouched by the operator. This touch of the operator on the screen of theLCD 41 causes the determination at S102 to result in YES. If frames(frames other than those displaying images A, B, and C) displaying noimage are touched, the determination at S102 results in NO.

Then, when the image A has been touched by the operator, the image A isdisplayed on the right screen 41 b of the LCD 41 in S103 as shown inFIG. 8C. When one or more images are displayed on the right screen 41 bof the LCD 41, “OK” prompt is displayed at the upper right portion ofthe LCD 41.

At this time, partition lines are displayed on the work screen (theright screen 41 b) of the LCD 41. More specifically, when one or moreimages are selected, horizontal and vertical partition lines aredisplayed to divide the right screen 41 b into four areas. Although notshown, when five or more images are selected, the right screen 41 b isdivided into nine areas, and when ten or more images are selected, theright screen 41 b is divided into sixteen areas.

In S104, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the “OK” prompt displayedat the upper right portion of the LCD 41 has been touched. When the CPU21 determines that the “OK” prompt has not been touched (S104:NO), theflow returns to S102 where the CPU 21 determines once again whether ornot the image has been touched. Thus, the operator can select thearbitrary number of images for display before touching the “OK” prompt.

FIG. 8D shows a state where the three images A to C have been selectedand displayed on the right screen 41 b. In the following, a case wherethe three images A to C have been selected will be described.

On the other hand, when determining that the “OK” prompt has beentouched by the operator (S104:YES), which means that the selection ofthe image by the operator has been completed, in S105 the CPU 21 readsout, from the template information storage area 22 a, templateinformation corresponding to the number of images displayed on the rightscreen 41 b and displays a plurality of templates corresponding to thenumber of images on the left screen 41 a of the LCD 41.

FIG. 9A shows a state where the templates are displayed on the leftscreen 41 a of the LCD 41 in S105. Since the three images A to C areselected by the operator, each template includes three frames fordisplaying the three images, as shown in FIG. 9A.

Although not shown, when the determination of S104 results in YES, i.e.,the images selected by the operator are determined, image informationstorage areas 23 b corresponding to respective selected images areallocated in the RAM 23. That is, in this embodiment, when thedetermination of S104 results in YES, three image information storageareas 23 b are allocated in the RAM 23. At this time, as describedabove, drawing information corresponding to the selected images isstored, as original image data, from the image file temporary storagearea 23 a into the drawing information storage area 23 b 8.

In S106, the CPU 21 determines whether or not any one of the templatesdisplayed on the left screen 41 a of the LCD 41 has been touched. Whendetermining that the template has not been touched (S106:NO), the CPU 21does not execute the process of S107 and S108, and advances to S109.

On the other hand, when determining that one of the templates has beentouched by the operator (S106:YES), in S107 the CPU 21 performs trimmingof each image according to the position and shape defined by the touchedtemplate and stores image information corresponding to the image aftertrimming in the image information storage area 23 b. Then, in S108 theCPU 21 displays each of the images A-C based on all information storedin each image information storage area 23 b, and advances to S109.

The trimming of the image executed in S107 is process of making anoutline of the image into a prescribed shape (outline) that has beendefined by the template. Further, at this time, information indicatingthe position (e.g., coordinate on the right screen 41 b) of the imageset by the template is stored in the position information storage area23 b 1, information indicating the shape set by the template is storedin the layout information storage area 23 b 2, attributes added orapplied to the image are stored in the correction information storagearea 23 b 3, size information storage area 23 b 4, color informationstorage area 23 b 5, brightness information storage area 23 b 6, andresolution information storage area 23 b 7, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 9B, when the one of the templates is selected by theoperator, the images are trimmed according to the selected template anddisplayed at the positions defined by the template. In this embodiment,the image A is trimmed into a rectangular shape and is displayed at theupper left portion of the right screen 41 b, image B is trimmed into acircular shape and is displayed at the upper right portion, and image Cis trimmed into a triangular shape and is displayed at the lower leftportion.

Further, when the one of the templates is selected by the operator, theright screen 41 b of the LCD 41 is divided into a plurality of areasaccording to the template (according to the number of images andpositions of the images). As shown in FIG. 9B, the right screen 41 b isdivided into four areas: selection area 41 b 1 associated with the imageA; selection area 41 b 2 associated with the image B, selection area 41b 3 associated with the image C, and selection area 41 b 4 in which noimage is displayed.

Thus, when the operator touches any one of the selection areas 41 b 1 to41 b 4, a signal corresponding to the touched selection area is output.The CPU 21 receives the output signal and recognizes the touchedselection area. This allows the CPU 21 to recognize the image associatedwith the touched selection area and confirm that the image has beenselected. The selection area 41 b 4, in which no image is displayed, isan invalid area, and no image is selected even when being touched.

In S109, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the “OK” prompt displayedat the upper right portion of the LCD 41 has been touched. When the CPU21 determines that the “OK” prompt has not been touched (S109:NO), theflow returns to S106 where the CPU 21 determines once again whether ornot any one of the templates displayed on the left screen 41 a has beentouched. Thus, the operator can select a plurality of types of templateswhile confirming the trimming result displayed on the right screen 41 bof the LCD 41, thereby selectively determining a desired template.

On the other hand, when determining in S109 that the “OK” prompt hasbeen touched by the operator (S109:YES), in S110 the CPU 21 executesedit process for editing the images and template selected by theoperator, and this flow is ended.

FIG. 9C shows a state where the “OK” prompt displayed at the upper rightportion of the right screen 41 b of the LCD 41 is touched after theselection of the template. This operation as shown in FIG. 9C causes thedetermination at S109 to result in YES.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the edit process executed by the CPU 21 ofthe MFP 1. The edit process is started by the process of S110 in thealbum creation process.

When the edit process is started, in S201 the CPU 21 displays edit itemson the left screen 41 a of the LCD 41. In this embodiment, the edititems include “photo interchange”, “layout interchange”, “correctioninterchange”, “size interchange”, “color interchange”, “brightnessinterchange”, “resolution interchange”, and “full interchange”. The“photo interchange” interchanges the positions of the arranged images.The “layout interchange” interchanges the shapes in the template. The“correction interchange” interchanges the corrections applied to theimages. The “size interchange” interchanges the sizes of the images. The“color interchange” interchanges the colors added to the images. The“brightness interchange” interchanges the brightnesses of the images.The “resolution interchange” interchanges the resolutions of the images.The “full interchange” fully interchanges the above elements.

As shown in FIG. 10A, eight edit item buttons corresponding to theabovementioned “photo interchange”, “layout interchange”, “correctioninterchange”, “size interchange”, “color interchange”, “brightnessinterchange”, “resolution interchange”, and “full interchange”, and an“edit end” button are displayed on the left screen 41 a of the LCD 41.When any one of the eight-item buttons is touched, the touched item isselected as an edit item to be applied to the images. When the “editend” button is touched, the edit process is ended.

In S202, the CPU 21 determines whether or not any one of the eight edititem buttons has been touched (S202). When determining that the edititem button has not been touched (S202:NO), in S203 the CPU 21determines whether or not the “edit end” button has been touched.

When the CPU 21 determines in S203 that the “edit end” button has notbeen touched (S203:NO), the flow returns to S202, and the CPU 21 repeatsS202 and S203 until the edit-item button or “edit end” button is touchedby the operator.

FIG. 10B shows a state where the “photo interchange” button is touchedas the edit item by the operator. As shown in FIG. 10B, by depressingthe button (area) on which the edit item is displayed, the operator canselect one edit item.

As shown in FIG. 10C, when one of the edit items is touched by theoperator, the touched edit item is lighted so as to show that thetouched edit item has been selected. In this embodiment, the lighting(selected) state of the selected edit item is retained until the edit ofthe selected edit item is completed. When the one of the edit items isselected, a massage “Select image 1” is displayed at the upper rightportion of the LCD 41 so as to indicate the subsequent operation to theoperator (see FIG. 11A).

On the other hand, when determining in S203 that the “edit end” buttonhas been touched (S203 YES), the CPU 21 displays “print” and “save” onthe left screen 41 a of the LCD 41 so as to allow the operator to endthe edit process. Thus, the operator can print or save the edited image.

In S205, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the “print” has beentouched by the operator. When determining that the “print” has beentouched by the operator (S205:YES), in S206 the CPU 21 executes imageprint process, and this flow is ended. When determining that the “save”has been touched (S205:NO), in S207 the CPU 21 executes image saveprocess, and this flow is ended.

The image print process of S206 is for instructing the printer 2 toperform printing the display screen currently displayed on the rightscreen 41 b of the LCD 41. The image save process of S207 is for storingand saving information stored in the in a memory area of the RAM 23other than the image file temporary storage area 23 a and the imageinformation storage area 23 b. Alternatively, the information stored inthe image information storage area 23 b may be stored directly in amemory card in the image save process. Further, both the image printingprocess and image save process may be selected at a time.

On the other hand, when determining in S202 that any one of the edititems has been touched (S202:YES), the CPU 21 determines whether thetouched edit item is “photo interchange” (S211), layout interchange(S212), correction interchange (S213), size interchange (S214), colorinterchange (S215), brightness interchange (S216), resolutioninterchange (S217), or full interchange (S218).

When determining that the edit item touched by the operator is “photointerchange” (S211:YES), in S221 the CPU 21 performs a photo interchangeprocess. When determining that the edit item touched by the operator is“layout interchange” (S211:NO and S212:YES), in S222 the CPU 21 performsa layout interchange process. When determining that the edit itemtouched by the operator is “correction interchange” (S211:NO, S212:NO,and YES:S213), in S223 the CPU 21 performs a correction interchangeprocess. When determining that the edit item touched by the operator is“size interchange” (S211:NO, S212:NO, S213:NO, and S214:YES), in S224the CPU 21 performs a size interchange process. When determining thatthe edit item touched by the operator is “color interchange” (S211:NO,S212:NO, S213:NO, S214:NO, and S215:YES), in S225 the CPU 21 performs acolor interchange process. When determining that the edit item touchedby the operator is “brightness interchange” (S211:NO, S212:NO, S213:NO,S214:NO, S215:NO, and S216:YES), in S226 the CPU 21 performs abrightness interchange process. When determining that the edit itemtouched by the operator is “resolution interchange” (S211 NO, S212:NO,S213:NO, S214:NO, S215:NO, S216:NO, and S217:YES), in S227 the CPU 21performs a resolution interchange process. When determining that theedit item touched by the operator is “full interchange” (S211:NO,S212:NO, S213:NO, S214:NO, S215:NO, S216:NO, S217:NO, and S218:YES), inS228 the CPU 21 performs full interchange process. After performing theprocesses S221 to S228, the CPU 21 returns to S202.

Also when the CPU 21 determines “NO” in any of steps S211 to S218 afterdetermining in S202 that any one of the edit items has been touched bythe operator, the flow returns to S202. In this case, since the CPU 21has determined that the any one of the edit items has been touched, theprocesses of any of steps S211 to S218 are repeated until the processcorresponding to any edit item is performed.

Here, with reference to FIGS. 5A through 7, respective interchangeprocess of S221 to S228 will be described. FIGS. 5A through 5D areflowcharts each showing the interchange process executed by the CPU 21of the MFP 1. FIG. 5A shows the photo interchange process, FIG. 5B showsthe layout interchange process, FIG. 5C shows the correction interchangeprocess, and FIG. 5D shows the size interchange process. FIGS. 6A to 6Dare also flowcharts each showing interchange process executed by the CPU21 of the MFP 1. FIG. 6A shows the color interchange process, FIG. 6Bshows the brightness interchange process, FIG. 6C shows the resolutioninterchange process, and FIG. 6D shows the full interchange process.FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing two image selection process executed bythe CPU 21 of the MFP 1.

First, with reference to FIG. 5A, the photo interchange process will bedescribed. When the photo interchange process is started by the processof S221 in the edit process, in S301 the CPU 21 executes two-imageselection process. The two-image selection process will be describedwith reference to FIG. 7.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the two-image selection process is started, inS1101 the CPU 21 determines whether or not any one of the selectionareas 41 b 1 to 41 b 4 displayed on the right screen 41 b of the LCD 41has been touched. When determining that the selection area has not beentouched (S1101:NO), the CPU 21 waits until any one of the selectionareas 41 b 1 to 41 b 4 is touched.

On the other hand, when determining in S1101 that any one of theselection areas 41 b 1 to 41 b 4 has been touched by the operator(S1101:YES), in S1102 the CPU 21 determines whether or not the touchedselection area is a valid area. In this embodiment, the selection areas41 b 1 to 41 b 3 that images are displayed and associated are validareas, while the selection area 41 b 4 is invalid area.

When the CPU 21 determines in S1102 that the selection area that hasbeen touched by the operator is not valid area (S1102:NO), the flowreturns to S1101 and the CPU 21 repeats S1101 and S1102 until the validarea is touched.

As shown in FIG. 11A, in this embodiment, a case where the selectionarea 41 b 2 is touched by the operator as a first image will bedescribed.

When determining that the selection area 41 b 2 (valid area) has beentouched (S102:YES), the CPU 21 sets the image B displayed in the touchedselection area 41 b 2 as the first image (S1103), and the flow advancesto S1104. When the process of S1103 is executed to set the first image,a message “select image 2” is displayed on the upper right portion ofthe LCD 41 as shown in FIG. 11B, allowing the operator to recognize thatthe first image has been selected properly.

In S1104, the CPU 21 determines whether or not any one of the selectionareas 41 b 1 to 41 b 4 displayed on the right screen 41 b of the LCD 41has been touched once again. When determining that the selection areahas not been touched (S1104:NO), the CPU 21 waits until any one of theselection areas 41 b 1 to 41 b 4 is touched.

On the other hand, when determining in S1104 that any one of theselection areas 41 b 1 to 41 b 4 has been touched by the operator(S1104:YES), in S1105 the CPU 21 determines whether or not the touchedselection area is a valid area.

When the CPU 21 determines in S1105 that the selection area that hasbeen touched by the operator is not valid area (S1105:NO), the flowreturns to S1104 and the CPU 21 repeats S1104 and S1105 until the validarea (any one of the selection areas 41 b 1 to 41 b 3) is touched.

On the other hand, when determining in S1105 that the touched area is avalid area (any one of the selection areas 41 b 1 to 41 b 3)(S1105:YES), in S1106 the CPU 21 determines whether or not the touchedarea is identical to the first image. That is, in S1106, the CPU 21determines whether or not the touched area is the selection area 41 b 2.

When the CPU 21 determines in S1106 that the touched area in S1104 isidentical to the first image, i.e., selection area 41 b 2 (S1106:YES),the flow returns to S1104 and the CPU 21 repeats S1104 to S1106 untilthe selection area 41 b 1 or 41 b 3 associated with a different imagefrom the image B is touched.

Thus, when the operator has erroneously touched the same selection areain succession (S1101 and S1104), the second and subsequent touchoperation is determined to be invalid operation (invalidation unit). Ifthe same image is selected in succession (S1101 and S1104), the sameinformation are interchanged with each other, so that no change occursvisually. In this case, the operator recognizes that the operator hasnot completed the selection of the second image, although the photointerchange process has actually been completed, and touches any one ofthe selection areas 41 b 1 to 41 b 3. However, since the photointerchange process has been completed, the selection of the imagecannot be made with the result that the operator needs to startoperating for the photo interchange process from the beginning again,thereby deteriorating usability. In this embodiment, when the imageidentical to the first image is selected as the second image, theselection operation for the second image is made invalid operation,thereby avoiding the deterioration of usability.

When determining in S1106 that the touched selection area is notidentical to the first image, that is, the touched selection area is oneof the selection area 41 b 1 and 41 b 3 (S1106:NO), the CPU sets animage associated with the touched selection area as the second image(S1107), and this flow is ended.

As shown in FIG. 11B, in this embodiment, a case where the selectionarea 41 b 3 is touched by the operator as the second image will bedescribed.

Returning to FIG. 5A, the process of S302 and subsequent process will bedescribed. When two images (first and second images) are selected in thetwo-image selection process of S301, in S302 the CPU 21 interchanges theposition information, corresponding to the first image (image B), storedin the corresponding position information storage area 23 b 1 and theposition information, corresponding to the second image (image C),stored in the corresponding position information storage area 23 b 1with each other, and stores the interchanged position information ineach position information storage area 23 b 1. Then, the CPU 21 createsimages based on the information stored in the image information storageareas 23 b corresponding respectively to the first and second images,and in S303 displays the created images on the LCD 41, and this flow isended.

In the process of S303, the images are processed based on theinformation stored in the image information storage areas 23 b andresultant images are displayed on the LCD 41, respectively. That is, theposition information is changed to change the positions at which theimages are displayed. As a result, the images whose shapes (outlines)have been changed are displayed at the positions corresponding to thechanged position information.

FIG. 11C shows a state where the positions of the image B and image Chave been interchanged with each other after the process of S303. Asshown in FIG. 11C, the positions of the images B and C have beeninterchanged with each other. The layout (position of each shape) of thetemplate is not changed, so that the image C is trimmed into a circularshape and image B is trimmed into a triangular shape. As describedabove, the positions of the images can be interchanged with each otheronly with two operations: operation for selecting the image B bytouching and operation for selecting the image C by touching.

The layout interchange process, correction interchange process, sizeinterchange process, color interchange process, brightness interchangeprocess, resolution interchange process, and full interchange processwill briefly be described below. Only for the layout interchangeprocess, description will be made with reference to FIG. 11D.

When the layout interchange process shown in FIG. 5B is started, in S401the CPU 21 executes the two-image selection process shown in FIG. 7, inS402 interchanges the layout information, corresponding to the firstimage, stored in the corresponding layout information storage area 23 b2 and layout information, corresponding to the second image, stored inthe corresponding layout information storage area 23 b 2 with eachother, and stores the interchanged layout information in each layoutinformation storage area 23 b 2. Then, the CPU 21 creates images basedon information stored in the image information storage areas 23 bcorresponding respectively to the first and second images and in S403displays the created images on the LCD 41, and this flow is ended.

That is, in the layout interchange process, the CPU 21 does notinterchange the positions of the images but interchanges only the shapesin the template. Therefore, the CPU 21 interchanges only the layoutinformation corresponding to the first and second images and stores theinterchanged layout information in each layout information storage area23 b 2. FIG. 11D shows a result of the layout interchange process. Ascan be seen from FIG. 11D, the positions of the images B and C have notbeen changed relative to the positions shown in FIG. 11B, but only thelayout of the template has been changed.

When the correction interchange process shown in FIG. 5C is started, inS501 the CPU 21 executes the two-image selection process shown in FIG.7, interchanges the correction information, corresponding to the firstimage, stored in the corresponding correction information storage area23 b 3 and correction information, corresponding to the second image,stored in the corresponding correction information storage area 23 b 3with each other, and stores the interchanged correction information ineach correction information storage area 23 b 3. Then, the CPU 21creates images based on information stored in the image informationstorage areas 23 b corresponding respectively to the first and secondimages and in S503 displays the created images on the LCD 41, and thisflow is ended.

That is, in the correction interchange process, the CPU 21 does notinterchange the positions and shapes of the images but interchanges onlythe corrections (edge correction or feathering correction) applied tothe images. Therefore, the CPU 21 interchanges only the correctioninformation corresponding to the first and second images and stores theinterchanged correction information in each correction informationstorage area 23 b 3.

When the size interchange process shown in FIG. 5D is started, in S601the CPU 21 executes the two-image selection process shown in FIG. 7, inS602 interchanges the size information, corresponding to the firstimage, stored in the corresponding size information storage area 23 b 4and size information, corresponding to the second image, stored in thecorresponding size information storage area 23 b 4 with each other, andstores the interchanged size information in each size informationstorage area 23 b 4. Then, the CPU 21 creates images based oninformation stored in the image information storage areas 23 bcorresponding respectively to the first and second images and in S603displays the created images on the LCD 41, and this flow is ended.

That is, in the size interchange process, the CPU 21 does notinterchange the positions of the images but interchanges only the sizesof the images. Therefore, the CPU 21 interchanges only the sizeinformation corresponding to the first and second images and stores theinterchanged size information in each size information storage area 23 b4.

When the color interchange process shown in FIG. 6A is started, in S701the CPU 21 executes the two-image selection process shown in FIG. 7, inS702 interchanges the color information, corresponding to the firstimage, stored in the corresponding color information storage area 23 b 5and color information, corresponding to the second image, stored in thecorresponding color information storage area 23 b 5 with each other, andstores the interchanged color information in each color informationstorage area 23 b 5. Then, the CPU 21 creates images based oninformation stored in the image information storage areas 23 bcorresponding respectively to the first and second images and in S703displays the created images on the LCD 41, and this flow is ended.

That is, in the color interchange process, the CPU 21 does notinterchange the positions and shapes of the images but interchanges onlythe colors (color combination) set to the images. Therefore, the CPU 21interchanges only the color information corresponding to the first andsecond images and stores the interchanged color information in eachcolor information storage area 23 b 5.

When the brightness interchange process shown in FIG. 6B is started, inS801 the CPU 21 executes the two-image selection process shown in FIG.7, in S802 interchanges the brightness information, corresponding to thefirst image, stored in the corresponding brightness information storagearea 23 b 6 and brightness information, corresponding to the secondimage, stored in the corresponding brightness information storage area23 b 6 with each other, and stores the interchanged brightnessinformation in each brightness information storage area 23 b 6. Then,the CPU 21 creates images based on information stored in the imageinformation storage areas 23 b corresponding respectively to the firstand second images and in S803 displays the created images on the LCD 41,and this flow is ended.

That is, in the brightness interchange process, the CPU 21 does notinterchange the positions and shapes of the images but interchanges onlythe brightnesses set to the images. Therefore, the CPU 21 interchangesonly the brightness information corresponding to the first and secondimages and stores the interchanged brightness information in eachbrightness information storage area 23 b 6.

When the resolution interchange process shown in FIG. 6C is started, inS901 the CPU 21 executes the two-image selection process shown in FIG.7, in S902 interchanges the resolution information, corresponding to thefirst image, stored in the corresponding resolution information storagearea 23 b 7 and resolution information, corresponding to the secondimage, stored in the corresponding resolution information storage area23 b 7 with each other, and stores the interchanged resolutioninformation in each resolution information storage area 23 b 7. Then,the CPU 21 creates images based on information stored in the imageinformation storage areas 23 b corresponding respectively to the firstand second images and in S903 displays the created images on the LCD 41,and this flow is ended.

That is, in the resolution interchange process, the CPU 21 does notinterchange the positions and shapes of the images but interchanges onlythe resolutions (fineness) set to the images. Therefore, the CPU 21interchanges only the resolution information corresponding to the firstand second images and stores the interchanged resolution information ineach resolution information storage area 23 b 7.

When the full interchange process shown in FIG. 6D is started, in S1001the CPU 21 executes the two-image selection process shown in FIG. 7, inS1002 interchanges all the information, corresponding to the firstimage, except for the drawing information and all the information,corresponding to the second image, except for the drawing informationwith each other, and stores all the information except for the drawinginformation in each image information storage area 23 b. Then, the CPU21 creates images based on information stored in the image informationstorage areas 23 b corresponding respectively to the first and secondimages and in S1003 displays the created images on the LCD 41, and thisflow is ended.

The reason that the drawing information are not interchanged is that thedrawing information is image data for displaying an image on the LCD 41and serves as original image data to be processed based on theinformation stored in the storage areas 23 b 2 to 23 b 7.

Further, as described above, the process of S202 and S203 are repeatedlyexecuted until the edit item or “edit end” button is touched, so that aplurality of edit items can be applied to the same image.

As described above, in the photo interchange process, when two imagesare selected from the images displayed on the right screen 41 b of theLCD 41, the position information of the two images indicating thepositions at which the two images are displayed respectively areinterchanged to be stored in the respective image information storageareas 23 b 1. Then, based on a combination of the interchanged positioninformation and drawing information stored in the respective drawinginformation storage areas 23 b 8, changed images are displayed on theright screen 41 b of the LCD 41. Thus, the operator can interchange thepositions of the images only by a simple operation of touching the twoimages displayed on the right screen 41 b of the LCD 41.

Further, in the layout interchange process, correction interchangeprocess, size interchange process, color interchange process, brightnessinterchange process, and resolution interchange process, when two imagesare selected from the images displayed on the right screen 41 b of theLCD 41, respective information (attributes) corresponding to theselected interchange process are interchanged between the two images tobe stored in the respective storage areas 23 b 2 to 23 b 7. Then, basedon a combination of the interchanged information and drawinginformation, the display modes (attributes) of the two images areinterchanged and displayed on the right screen 41 b of the LCD 41. Thus,the operator can interchange the attributes of the images only by asimple operation of touching the two images displayed on the rightscreen 41 b of the LCD 41.

Further, in the full interchange process, when two images are selectedfrom the images displayed on the right screen 41 b of the LCD 41,respective information stored in the storage areas 23 b 1 to 23 b 7corresponding to the selected images are interchanged. Then, based on acombination, of the interchanged information and drawing information,the images are displayed. Thus, the operator can interchange not onlythe positions but also all the attributes of the images only by a simpleoperation of touching the two images displayed on the right screen 41 bof the LCD 41.

Further, since the LCD 41 of the MFP 1 is constituted by a touch panel,positions or attributes of the images displayed on the right screen 41 bof the LCD 41 can be interchanged more easily. Thus, the touch panel canimprove the operability of the MFP 1.

The MFP 1 is configured to perform copy operation, printer operation,and facsimile operation. The above operations are often executed inparallel to image process. In the copy operation, the scanner 3 iscontrolled according to a control program stored in the ROM 22. In theprinter operation, a recording head provided in the printer 2 iscontrolled according to the control program stored in the ROM 22. In thefacsimile operation, received data are sequentially stored. In general,MFPs are designed to perform the copy operation, printer operation, andfacsimile operation in priority to image process. Therefore, when acontrol for the copy operation, printer operation, or facsimileoperation (control for corresponding mechanical part) is performed, therequired amount of memory for performing the control is preferentiallyensured in the RAM 23, so that the amount of memory that can beallocated to other process is reduced (compressed). As a result, therequired amount of memory for performing normal album creation processcannot often be ensured in the RAM 23.

Therefore, when an image is created for display while a drag-and-dropoperation is used to move the image, the required amount of memory forthis operation cannot be ensured in the RAM 23 with result that theimage cannot smoothly be moved on the display screen.

However, in this embodiment, the interchange of the positions of imagesor interchange of the attributes of images can be carried out only by asimple operation of touching two images. Thus, even in the case where anamount of memory (memory area) that can be ensured in the RAM 23 for theimage process is restricted, smooth control for image display can beachieved. That is, to carry out the interchange of the positions orattributes of images only by touching the two images is a suitabletechnique to the MFP 1.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to thepreferred embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the aboveembodiment and those skilled in the art can infer that a variety ofmodifications and changes may be made without departing from the scopeof the present invention.

For example, in the full interchange process of the above embodiment,the drawing information stored in the drawing information storage areas23 b 8 are not interchanged but information stored in the storage areas23 b 1 to 23 b 7 are interchanged for storage. Alternatively, however,information stored in the storage areas 23 b 1 to 23 b 7 may not beinterchanged but the drawing information stored in the drawinginformation storage areas 23 b 8 may be interchanged for storage. Thatis, it is only necessary to interchange one of the drawing informationand other information between two images since it is important that thepositions or display modes (attributes) of the images touched by theoperator are interchanged.

Further, in the above embodiment, the LCD 41 is constituted by a touchpanel. Alternatively, however, a cursor may be displayed on the LCD 41and the operation key 40 is used to move the cursor so as to determinethe process of image. Further, the type of the touch panel need not beparticularly limited. For example, the touch panel may be of the typethat detects a pressure to the touch panel, a contact with the touchpanel, or an approach of a finger or indicator.

Further, although the positions or attributes are interchanged betweentwo images in the above embodiment, the interchange process may be madeamong three or more images. In this case, a rule is preferably definedin which, for example, serial numbers are assigned to the selectedimages and, based on the order of the serial numbers, information areinterchanged step by step.

Further, although the album creation process in which the positions orattributes of the images are interchanged is executed in the MFP 1 inthe above embodiment, the album creation process may be executed in anytype of apparatus such as a personal computer as long as the apparatusis provided with a processing unit that can execute a program and adisplay unit that can display an image.

Further, although one of the following interchange process: photointerchange, layout interchange, correction interchange, sizeinterchange, color interchange, brightness interchange, and resolutioninterchange or full interchange that interchanges all of the elementscorresponding to the above interchanging process is executed in theabove embodiment, a combination of the interchange process mayarbitrarily selected.

What is claimed is:
 1. An image processing device comprising: a displayhaving a display screen on which a plurality of images can be displayed;a first image selection unit configured to select a plurality ofselected images from the plurality of images while the plurality ofimages are displayed on the display screen; a first template selectionunit configured to select one template from a plurality of templates asa first template, each of the plurality of templates defining displaystates of the plurality of selected images, the display states includingat least one of: positions where the plurality of selected images are tobe displayed on the display screen; and shapes which the plurality ofselected images are to be displayed on the display screen; an imagedisplay controller configured to control the display to display a firstcombined image on the display screen, the first combined image beinggenerated by combining the plurality of selected images and the firsttemplate, the plurality of selected images in the first combined imagebeing displayed on a basis of the display states of the plurality of theselected images defined by the first template; and a second templateselection unit configured to select, as a second template, anothertemplate other than the first template from the plurality of templateswhile the first combined image is displayed on the display screen,wherein the image display controller is further configured to controlthe display to display a second combined image on the display screen byreplacing the first combined image with the second combined image whenthe second template selection unit selects the second template from theplurality of selected images while the first combined image is displayedon the display screen, the second combined image being generated bycombining the plurality of selected images and the second template, theplurality of selected images in the second combined image beingdisplayed on a basis of the display states of the plurality of theselected images defined by the second template.
 2. The image processingdevice according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of templatesdefines display states of images to be displayed in a combined image,the display states including: positions where the images are to bedisplayed in the combined image; and shapes which the images are to bedisplayed in the combined image; wherein the first combined image isgenerated by: modifying the plurality of selected images according tothe shapes defined by the first template; and arranging, according tothe positions defined by the first template, the plurality of selectedimages that have been modified; wherein the second combined image isgenerated by: modifying the plurality of selected images according tothe shapes defined by the second template; and arranging, according tothe positions defined by the second template, the plurality of selectedimages that have been modified.
 3. The image processing device accordingto claim 1, wherein the display screen includes a first area and asecond area adjacent to the first area; wherein the image processingdevice further comprises a template display controller configured tocontrol the display to display the plurality of templates on the firstarea, each of the plurality of templates displayed on the first areabeing selectable by the first template selection unit and the secondtemplate selection unit; wherein the image display controller isconfigured to control the display to display one of the first combinedimage and the second combined image on the second area.
 4. The imageprocessing device according to claim 1, further comprising a printingunit configured to print a combined image on a recording medium, thecombined image being an image that is displayed on the display screenand is generated by combining the plurality of selected images and oneof the plurality of templates, the printing unit being configured to:print the first combined image on the recording medium when the firstcombined image is displayed on the display screen as the combined image;and print the second combined image on the recording medium when thesecond combined image is displayed on the display screen as the combinedimage.
 5. The image processing device according to claim 1, furthercomprising: a storage unit configured to store: a plurality of pieces ofimage information corresponding respective ones of the plurality ofimages individually, each of the plurality of pieces of imageinformation representing one of the plurality of selected images, theplurality of selected images including a first image and a second image;and a plurality of pieces of position information corresponding torespective ones of the plurality of selected images, each of theplurality of pieces of position information defining a position wherethe respective one of the plurality of selected images is displayed onthe display screen, each of the plurality of pieces of positioninformation being associated with one of the plurality of pieces ofimage information, the plurality of pieces of position informationincluding first position information and second position information,the first position information being associated with the first image,the second position information being associated with the second image;a second image selection unit configured to select, while the firstcombined image is displayed on the display screen, the first image andthe second image from the plurality of selected images included in thefirst combined image; an information interchange unit configured to:correlate the first image information and the second positioninformation and correlate the second image information and the firstposition information by interchanging the first image information withthe second image information or by interchanging the first positioninformation with the second position information, when the second imageselection unit selects the first image and the second image from theplurality of selected images; and store in the storage unit the firstimage information, the second position information correlated with thefirst image information, the second image information, and the firstposition information correlated with the second image information; andan interchanged information display controller configured to control thedisplay to display the first image at a position defined by the secondposition information and to display the second image at a positiondefined by the first position information.
 6. The image processingdevice according to claim 1, further comprising: a touch panelconfigured to detect an input corresponding to a contact position or anadjacent position of an indicator on the display screen, and whereineach of the first template selection unit and the second templateselection unit is configured to select a template displayed on thedisplay screen when the touch panel detects the input by the indicatorwith respect to the template displayed on the display screen.
 7. Anon-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing acomputer-executable image processing program for an image processingdevice, the image processing device comprising a display having adisplay screen on which a plurality of images can be displayed, theimage processing program comprising: instructions for selecting aplurality of selected images from the plurality of images while theplurality of images are displayed on the display screen; instructionsfor selecting one template from a plurality of templates as a firsttemplate, each of the plurality of templates defining display states ofthe plurality of selected images, the display states including at leastone of: positions where the plurality of selected images are to bedisplayed on the display screen; and shapes which the plurality ofselected images are to be displayed on the display screen; instructionsfor controlling the display to display a first combined image on thedisplay screen, the first combined image being generated by combiningthe plurality of selected images and the first template, the pluralityof selected images in the first combined image being displayed on abasis of the display states of the plurality of the selected imagesdefined by the first template; instructions for selecting, as a secondtemplate, another template other than the first template from theplurality of templates while the first combined image is displayed onthe display screen; and instructions for controlling the display todisplay a second combined image on the display screen by replacing thefirst combined image with the second combined image when the secondtemplate is selected from the plurality of selected images while thefirst combined image is displayed on the display screen, the secondcombined image being generated by combining the plurality of selectedimages and the second template, the plurality of selected images in thesecond combined image being displayed on a basis of the display statesof the plurality of the selected images defined by the second template.8. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according toclaim 7, wherein each of the plurality of templates defines displaystates of images to be displayed in a combined image, the display statesincluding: positions where the images are to be displayed in thecombined image; and shapes which the images are to be displayed in thecombined image; wherein the first combined image is generated by:modifying the plurality of selected images according to the shapesdefined by the first template; and arranging, according to the positionsdefined by the first template, the plurality of selected images thathave been modified; wherein the second combined image is generated by:modifying the plurality of selected images according to the shapesdefined by the second template; and arranging, according to thepositions defined by the second template, the plurality of selectedimages that have been modified.
 9. The non-transitory computer-readablerecording medium according to claim 7, for controlling the display todisplay the plurality of templates on a first area of the displayscreen, each of the plurality of templates displayed on the first areabeing selectable as the first template and selectable as the secondtemplate; wherein each of the first combined image and the secondcombined image is capable of being displayed on a second area of thedisplay screen, the second area being adjacent to the first area. 10.The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim7, wherein the image processing program further comprises instructionsfor printing a combined image on a recording medium, the combined imagebeing an image that is displayed on the display screen and is generatedby combining the plurality of selected images and one of the pluralityof templates, the instructions for printing the combined imagecomprising: instructions for printing the first combined image on therecording medium when the first combined image is displayed on thedisplay screen as the combined image; and instructions for printing thesecond combined image on the recording medium when the second combinedimage is displayed on the display screen as the combined image.
 11. Thenon-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 7,wherein the image processing program further comprises: instructions forstoring a plurality of pieces of image information and a plurality ofpieces of position information in a storage unit, the plurality ofpieces of image information corresponding respective ones of theplurality of images individually, each of the plurality of pieces ofimage information representing one of the plurality of selected images,the plurality of selected images including a first image and a secondimage, the plurality of pieces of position information corresponding torespective ones of the plurality of selected images, each of theplurality of pieces of position information defining a position wherethe respective one of the plurality of selected images is displayed onthe display screen, each of the plurality of pieces of positioninformation being associated with one of the plurality of pieces ofimage information, the plurality of pieces of position informationincluding first position information and second position information,the first position information being associated with the first image,the second position information being associated with the second image;instructions for selecting, while the first combined image is displayedon the display screen, the first image and the second image from theplurality of selected images included in the first combined image;instructions for correlating the first image information and the secondposition information and for correlating the second image informationand the first position information by interchanging the first imageinformation with the second image information or by interchanging thefirst position information with the second position information, whenthe first image and the second image are selected from the plurality ofselected images in the first combined image while the first combinedimage is displayed on the display screen; instructions for storing inthe storage unit the first image information, the second positioninformation correlated with the first image information, the secondimage information, and the first position information correlated withthe second image information, when the second position information iscorrelated with the first image information and the first positioninformation is correlated with the second image information; andinstructions for controlling the display to display the first image at aposition defined by the second position information and to display thesecond image at a position defined by the first position information,when the first image information, the second position informationcorrelated with the first image information, the second imageinformation are stored in the storage unit.
 12. The non-transitorycomputer-readable recording medium according to claim 7, whereinselection of the first template and the second template is performedwhen a touch panel of the image processing device detects an inputcorresponding to a contact position or an adjust position of anindicator with respect to a template displayed on the display screen.13. An image processing method comprising: selecting a plurality ofselected images from a plurality of images while the plurality of imagesare displayed on a display screen of a display; selecting one templatefrom a plurality of templates as a first template, each of the pluralityof templates defining display states of the plurality of selectedimages, the display states including at least one of: positions wherethe plurality of selected images are to be displayed on the displayscreen; and shapes which the plurality of selected images are to bedisplayed on the display screen; controlling the display to display afirst combined image on the display screen, the first combined imagebeing generated by combining the plurality of selected images and thefirst template, the plurality of selected images in the first combinedimage being displayed on a basis of the display states of the pluralityof the selected images defined by the first template; selecting, as asecond template, another template other than the first template from theplurality of templates while the first combined image is displayed onthe display screen; and controlling the display to display a secondcombined image on the display screen by replacing the first combinedimage with the second combined image when the second template isselected from the plurality of selected images while the first combinedimage is displayed on the display screen, the second combined imagebeing generated by combining the plurality of selected images and thesecond template, the plurality of selected images in the second combinedimage being displayed on a basis of the display states of the pluralityof the selected images defined by the second template.
 14. The imageprocessing method according to claim 13, wherein each of the pluralityof templates defines display states of images to be displayed in acombined image, the display states including: positions where the imagesare to be displayed in the combined image; and shapes which the imagesare to be displayed in the combined image; wherein the first combinedimage is generated by: modifying the plurality of selected imagesaccording to the shapes defined by the first template; and arranging,according to the positions defined by the first template, the pluralityof selected images that have been modified; wherein the second combinedimage is generated by: modifying the plurality of selected imagesaccording to the shapes defined by the second template; and arranging,according to the positions defined by the second template, the pluralityof selected images that have been modified.
 15. The image processingmethod according to claim 13, further comprising controlling the displayto display the plurality of templates on a first area of the displayscreen, each of the plurality of templates displayed on the first areabeing selectable as the first template and selectable as the secondtemplate; wherein each of the first combined image and the secondcombined image is capable of being displayed on a second area of thedisplay screen, the second area being adjacent to the first area. 16.The image processing method according to claim 13, further comprisingprinting a combined image on a recording medium, the combined imagebeing an image that is displayed on the display screen and is generatedby combining the plurality of selected images and one of the pluralityof templates, the printing the combined image comprising: printing thefirst combined image on the recording medium when the first combinedimage is displayed on the display screen as the combined image; andprinting the second combined image on the recording medium when thesecond combined image is displayed on the display screen as the combinedimage.
 17. The image processing method according to claim 13, furthercomprising: storing a plurality of pieces of image information and aplurality of pieces of position information in a storage unit, theplurality of pieces of image information corresponding respective onesof the plurality of images individually, each of the plurality of piecesof image information representing one of the plurality of selectedimages, the plurality of selected images including a first image and asecond image, the plurality of pieces of position informationcorresponding to respective ones of the plurality of selected images,each of the plurality of pieces of position information defining aposition where the respective one of the plurality of selected images isdisplayed on the display screen, each of the plurality of pieces ofposition information being associated with one of the plurality ofpieces of image information, the plurality of pieces of positioninformation including first position information and second positioninformation, the first position information being associated with thefirst image, the second position information being associated with thesecond image; selecting, while the first combined image is displayed onthe display screen, the first image and the second image from theplurality of selected images included in the first combined image;correlating the first image information and the second positioninformation and correlating the second image information and the firstposition information by interchanging the first image information withthe second image information or by interchanging the first positioninformation with the second position information, when the first imageand the second image are selected from the plurality of selected imagesin the first combined image while the first combined image is displayedon the display screen; storing in the storage unit the first imageinformation, the second position information correlated with the firstimage information, the second image information, and the first positioninformation correlated with the second image information, when thesecond position information is correlated with the first imageinformation and the first position information is correlated with thesecond image information; and controlling the display to display thefirst image at a position defined by the second position information andto display the second image at a position defined by the first positioninformation, when the first image information, the second positioninformation correlated with the first image information, the secondimage information are stored in the storage unit.
 18. The imageprocessing method according to claim 13, wherein selection of the firsttemplate and the second template is performed when a touch panel of theimage processing device detects an input corresponding to a contactposition or an adjust position of an indicator with respect to atemplate displayed on the display screen.